Love, Marriage, and the baby carriage!!

TOF was born in Ireland and came out to New Zealand the year I was born 1962, he was 4.  His family settled in Hamilton.

TOF is on the left and I am on the right.

We first met when I was 18.  He had and still does have, wicked blue eyes that sparkle with mischief!!  I found him to be quite worldly, a surfing, snow ski-ing, smoking, drinking hairy young man. I was slightly intimidated by him as I was a free spirited innocent young thing!! I was!!  We went a couple of times and then he moved away from Hamilton.  Over the next 10 years he came into and out off my life, sending me flowers, phoning me, calling in, taking me out, and even writing letters!!!  I tell the lads he chased me and I finally gave up and let him catch me!!

TOF moved back to Hamilton and we rented a couple of places and started on the journey of being in a committed relationship.  There were times when I thought I should have been committed!!  We bought our first house and we then decided we should get married.

21 years ago today we tied the knot in our back garden on a Thursday night with 4 friends (2 couples) as our witnesses.  We had an elderly old Justice of the Peace that performed a very brief ceremony that we had written and we celebrated with our friends with good food and wine.  We had a Black Forest Gateau for a wedding cake and had an enjoyable evening.  The only people that knew we were getting married apart from our guests were my good friend Leonie and my sister Helen.  We phoned our folks after the event, to mixed reactions.  I have always thought getting married wasn't about how you did it, more the fact that we did it, and did it our way.  We are still together after all!! Don't get me wrong, I love a good wedding but it isn't my sort of thing. A dress you only wear ONCE!! 

We had our 2 boys and moved to the house we still live in.  All our holidays were been family based and always at the beach.  I think we have given our boys a good old fashioned family up bringing with some modern twists to it, but they were both taught manners, respect and values.

I mean, the boys seem to have turned out pretty normal!!!

(slightly pie eyed in these photos)

30 odd years of knowing each other, 20 something years of living together and 21 years of marriage, I think we can safely say we have made it work!!  We have survived TOFs heart attack at 40, his stuffed back, dodgy knees etc and he has survived my anxiety and difficult to live with times.  Acceptance and respect is what I would call our love for each other.  Pretty sure we will continue to cruise through this later stage of our lives together sharing ready readers, laughter and each others company but separate gardens!! Remember, I am not permitted to plant anything in TOFs vegetable patch.

TOF is a good husband/mate, a good father, our pets love him and may he continue to catch big snapper!!  Will we celebrate this mile stone??

Does cooking TACOs for dinner tonight count??

Well I will be making them so I guess so.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!